Author: admin

The veil separated the Holy Place from the temple’s Most Holy Place, and it had done so for centuries.  According to tradition, the veil–a handbreadth in thickness–was woven of seventy-two twisted plaits, each plait consisting of twenty-four threads.  The veil was apparently sixty feet long and thirty feet wide.  The fact that it was torn apart from the top down indicated that the tearing was an irrevocable act of God in heaven that gave people access to Him.

This tearing reflected the rendering of Christ’s body on the cross.  He had just breathed His last.  Death by suffocation, death on the cross–it was finished.

Yet it was also the beginning–the commencement of a new kind of intimate relationship between God and His people.  Christ’s death on the cross removed every obstacle that has separated–and could ever separate–people from God.  Our Most Holy God is now accessible to everyone through Jesus Christ.  It is we ourselves who erect any barriers that exist between God and us.

What barriers are you choosing to let stand?  Jesus died to bring them down.

How often do you find yourself engaged in arguments? How regularly do you find yourself becoming angry with others? If your answer to either is “often,” then you would be wise to listen to Paul’s counsel.

Paul, who was not timid about defending the faith, urged servants of God to avoid quarreling. You can’t argue people into the kingdom of God! You cannot bully, or ridicule, or coerce people into becoming followers of Jesus. That can only be done through gentle, loving, persuasion. It is truth that sets people free; not raising our voices or belittling our opponents.

Our aim ought to be to lead people into salvation, not winning an argument. We are unlikely to win others to Christ if we are angry or impatient with them. Our pride will urge us to win debates. Our love will compel us to win people.

If you find yourself regularly embroiled in conflict, you need to examine your heart. Are you being motivated by pride, or love? Are you leading people to freedom, or are you heaping coals on their head?

We can be tempted to make Christianity much more difficult than it really is. Some things are really not that complicated. For example, how do you deal with temptation? The simplest answer is: flee! Escape it; don’t enter a discussion with it! At times we spend too much time debating what is and is not a sin, when we ought to be putting as much distance as we can between us, and the temptation.

Paul urged Timothy to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. These don’t come automatically; you must pursue them. It is not enough to simply avoid evil; we must also fill our lives with righteousness. The greatest protection against temptation is a holy life. Likewise, faith is something you can develop. If you have a weak faith, you can exercise it until it becomes strong. Love is also a quality that can be enhanced with much use. Allow the Holy Spirit to love people through you until your heart is filled with His compassion for others. Finally peace is a trait that can be cultivated. You might be anxious and a worrier by nature. Yet as you surrender your life fully to Christ, you discover His peace that surpasses your understanding, filling you, and guarding your mind and heart.

Finally, Paul urged Timothy to pursue these things with other believers who followed God with pure hearts. There is safety in walking with other consecrated believers! When you heed the apostle’s advice, you can withstand any temptation that comes!

Many people would like to serve God in some way, but not everyone is usable. Paul described people as vessels in a large house. Some are prized possessions or useful tools to which the owner frequently turns. Then there are other objects in the house that are of no intrinsic value. They take up space but they are of no use. The master of the house might keep them, but he doesn’t use them, nor does he value them.

Some people would like for God to use their life in a significant way, but they never consecrated themselves so they were useful. To be holy is to be set aside for God’s service. It involves being cleansed from sinful habits, actions, and thoughts so we are unencumbered in our divine service. In God’s eyes, it is not just what you do that matters, but how you do it. You can serve God in a selfish or wicked manner, but that is unacceptable to God. God looks for useful, consecrated, instruments.

What kind of instrument are you? Are you one He delights to use, over and over again? Or are you one that remains in the closet, unused, because you have been unwilling to be made holy?

The religious landscape can be confusing. There are many diverse denominations, all claiming to represent the truth. There are self-proclaimed Bible “experts” who vociferously promote their understanding of God’s word. Some claim to have discerned biblical prophecies. Others declare new interpretations of Scripture verses. At times these self-appointed prophets can denounce commonly accepted teachings or doctrines and bring great confusion to the church.

In light of so many voices, opinions, and perspectives, the apostle Paul provided young Timothy with two simple guidelines in dealing with the plethora of religious voices. First, he noted that God knows those who are His own. While we may not always be clear about other people’s motivations and relationship with God, God is never in doubt. God can cut through the rhetoric and hyperbole and peer right into people’s hearts. The Lord knows who are His. What a wonderful thought! You are never lost in the crowd. And, despite the numerous people proclaiming they speak for God, God knows those who are His. And, in time, He will bless the ministries of those who belong to Him and He will oppose those who misrepresent Him.

Paul also instructed those who belong to God to “depart from iniquity.” The best way to determine those who truly represent God are not the ones who shout the loudest of their orthodoxy, but those who live the most consecrated lives.

Society today is rife with people who do shoddy work. We must ever be alert to tradespeople who provide an inferior product or fail to do what they promised. Sadly there are many who take no pride in the quality of their work. Such people want the maximum pay for the minimum effort.

Tragically, some Christians take the same approach in their service of God. They are careless in their handling of God’s word. They do not carefully think through the great doctrines of the faith. They don’t examine their character and behavior to ensure they reflect positively on their Lord. They do not hone their skills in their service of the King. They assume that any half-hearted, sloppy, careless service is better than nothing. It is not.

Paul urged young Timothy to strive to be the best servant of God that the Holy Spirit could make him to be. That meant striving to be his best at everything he did for his Lord. It especially required him to study and know God’s word so he could wield it accurately and effectively.

Servants who fail their master or who are exposed as having been careless in their duties will face shame. Yet those who serve their master well will exult in being told, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Strive to prepare yourself spiritually, academically, physically, and spiritually, so you gain the approval of your King for every effort you make on His behalf.

Aren’t you grateful that your Christian life does not hinge entirely upon you? If our joy and contentment as well as our success as Christians hinged on our steadfast adherence to our beliefs and values, we would suffer a tumultuous existence! The truth is, that despite all God has made available to us we often fail Him. Regardless of our best intentions, we fail to follow through with commitments we have made.

It is true that throughout the Gospels Christ often stated: “Be it done to you according to your faith.” Our faith is the key that unlocks many of the divine promises. Those who believe little, receive little. Yet God Himself always remains faithful. It is His nature to be so. He always stands by His word. He is never distracted or unprepared to follow through with His promises.

Our great confidence is that, though we may repeatedly fail our Lord and fall short of our commitments, Christ is our sure Rock. He brings the one consistent, stability in our lives. Everything else in our life may change, but He remains the same. Aren’t you grateful that you can always count on Christ’s faithfulness in your life?

The Church would look much different today if all of God’s people had endured to the end. Unfortunately there have many who began their race with Christ well enough, but when hardships and opposition came, they yielded to the pressure and dropped out of the race. Just imagine what the world would look like today, if every person who was called into Christian ministry was still serving; if every person who felt led to plant a church or begin a Christian ministry was still working to that end; if every Christian who knew God’s will was still faithfully following it. Imagine.

The truth is, that the Christian highway is littered with lives that failed to endure till the end. If they had, they would be enjoying enormous spiritual influence today. Instead, when they ceased to associate themselves with the cause of Christ, Christ no longer associated Himself with them.

We ought never to treat finishing to the end, lightly. It isn’t easy. Many obstacles will arise. Friends may disappoint us. Crises will inevitably come. Christ never promised that following Him would be problem-free! But of course, as in most cases, the best things in life often come at a price. But, to those willing to meet the requirements, there is enormous reward.

The key to successful Christian living is dying. The more we die to ourselves, the more we can live to Christ. Our problem is that the world urges us to cling to our lives at all costs. It goes against everything we have been taught in life to die to ourselves. But that is the key to successful Christian living.

Christ seeks to live out His life through us (Galatians 2:20). But He cannot do that if we stubbornly cling to the controls of our life. If we insist on doing things our way, Christ will not do things in us His way. Many a well-intentioned Christian has sought to serve Christ in his own effort, only to experience failure. That is because we are utterly incapable of living the Christian life! We simply don’t have the wisdom, power, or innate godliness to do it. But there is One who lives within us, who is perfectly capable of living like Christ. It is, of course, Christ Himself.

Why don’t you make your way to the altar and allow Christ to crucify you? Put to death the sinful impulses, pride, vanity, and unforgiving spirit so the hindrances to godly living are expunged from your life? Then enjoy the freedom that comes from truly living the life of Christ.

At times we can face difficult times in our service for Christ. Opposition can mount. Our efforts can sometimes end in disappointment and failure. Our enemies can wound us grievously. Such might Paul have thought when he surveyed his circumstances. He was writing his friend from a Roman prison. The carnal, secular powers of Nero’s Rome had seemingly put an end to Paul’s public ministry. His enemies among the Jewish religious leaders appeared to have triumphed in their hatred of Paul. Friends who had abandoned Paul seemed to have harmed the apostle with impunity. Writing to Timothy while in chains in a Roman prison, might have demoralized a lesser man.

However, Paul knew that though people might imprison him, they could not subdue the Gospel. Though the Roman authorities might execute the apostles and throw Christians to the lions, they could not prevent God’s work from advancing.

You may be facing painful opposition. Perhaps you have experienced setbacks and failures. Don’t allow the actions of others to color your view of God. People might hinder your efforts, but they cannot stop God’s purposes from being accomplished. Paul was willing to endure imprisonment and ridicule as long as God’s cause was advanced. Do you see God’s purposes advancing around you, even as people oppose you? The word of God is not in chains. It is unquenchable and unstoppable.